The Insidious Case of Mistaken Identity
by Glow in the Rain
Summary: Steampunk AU. K/K. When a certain nefarious businessman starts pressing Kaoru to sell her family estate, she starts using any means necessary to keep from having to sell. Even if said means involve that man dressed in that gaudy shade of pink.


**The Insidious Case of Mistaken Identity**

**Part One**

**XX**

Kenshin was quite lost. Not just lost, but _quite_ lost. The distinction was necessary.

Frowning, he rubbed at his chin with a gloved hand, peering down the street. Gone were the rich, elaborate buildings he had wandered past several blocks ago. This street was in need of repair, and the people scurried around him like mice seeking shelter. The long shadows cast by the now-setting sun only aided in the foreboding setting he had stumbled upon. This certainly did not seem like the same city his airship had landed in just some few hours earlier. A city rich with the tourism brought in by the flourish of alchemy, he had been hoping for quite the sight-seeing.

Well, certainly what he was seeing was sightly. Not necessarily in a good way. Tapping his cane against the worn cobblestone, he was just considering trying to retrace his steps when someone walked past him. He blinked rapidly, attention settling on the woman marching briskly down the path as if it did not lead somewhere seedy. She seemed grossly out of place, with her lace parasol and blue bustle skirt. Her laced-up boots moved across the cobblestone in steady click-clacks, the lamp light catching on their gilded trim. She held her head high, not sparing him a glance as she walked. He still caught the set angle of her jaw.

Canting his head, he watched after her until the shadows engulfed her form and he could no longer hear the rhythmic march of her footsteps.

Well, now that was just odd.

**XX**

Kaoru was quite angry. Not just angry, but _quite_ angry. Surely, by the night's end, someone would be quaking in his boots, and she had a very specific someone in mind.

She tightened the grip on her open parasol, the setting sun of little concern to her as she wove down street after street. By the time she reached her destination, only the faintest traces of red could be seen in the evening sky.

The smell of salt permeated the air, and she could make out the distant sound of the ocean over the occasional thrum of an airship overhead. The docks always did make her lip curl just ever so slightly. No proper lady should ever be out here without an escort, and especially not at this hour. They knew it, and she knew it.

She would show them just how _proper_ she was.

Fueled by the anger churning just underneath her otherwise set face, she came to a stop at the street's intersection, snapping her parasol shut. This part of the docks was as empty as could be, nary a soul in sight. A couple of dingy gas lamps seemed to be her only company, washing the white lace of her attire yellow, and making the blue of her dress appear black.

She knew now that she just had to wait, but no amount of waiting would quell the fire within her. She would not cower, nor would she back down. It was no longer a matter of pride. It was pragmatism. It was survival.

She was not sure how long she waited until she heard the distant sound of footsteps. Two, no... three sets she counted, and she turned, eyes straining against the dark shadows to see who they belonged to.

She saw his teeth first; a sickly white glinting in the shadows that made her almost queasy. She wrinkled her nose as he stepped out into the light of one of the gas lamps. She could make out two others just in the edge of the light, larger in form. Escorts, likely. He pulled his top hat off his head, taking a sweeping bow as he went. "Madame Kamiya! How wonderful to see you this fine evening. Are you well?"

His words dripped with false pleasantness, and she had to remind herself to play along. "Oh, I've been grand. So kind of you to ask." She gave him a pretty smile that did not reach her eyes.

"Yes, yes. You look splendid." He had straightened back up by this point, his hat back on his head again. His suit was finely tailored and pressed, displaying his wealth. Many knew the name Kanryu Takeda, and how fast it had swept across the city. He had breezed in with the alchemy rush, sinking hooks into a lot of the major trade in the city. Many smaller businesses had been bought out by him, and very few had any sort of standing power against his agenda. Fewer even tried.

Tipping his head at her, he regarded her over the gold rim of his spectacles. "However, I must ask as to why you are here tonight. I am quite certain my invitation was addressed to the ever elusive heir of the Kamiya Estate, not you."

Kaoru's eyes narrowed. "He is not available to speak, however he has not changed his mind. House Kamiya will not be selling our properties to you."

"I see, I see," Kanryu murmured, nodding in understanding. "Now, remind me again what proper gentleman sends a woman to do his work for him? It is not flattering to one's reputation to be sending a lady out at night by herself. So many wrongs could happen to her."

Kaoru tightened her grip on her parasol. "Is that a threat?" She asked icily.

"A threat? Mercy, no. I am a businessman, Madame Kamiya. I simply worry about the reputation of your house if word gets out of the improper handling of such events. It may make your business suffer, and as a fellow businessman, I would hate to see that happen."

Kaoru pursed her lips. Kanryu smiled. "Are you certain he will not change his mind? Already your... _school_, as it were... it is in a tentative position. It is not very traditional, and so few are very willing to seek it out, especially with a woman instructor. Remind me, what is it again? Some sort of... self defense school? The name actually escapes me, my apologies."

"The Kamiya School of Bartitsu will not be selling to a man who uses coercive means under the pretense of business like you, Sir Takeda. Your money is of little worth to us. Our meeting is over, and our word is final."

For the first time that evening the smile fell from Kanryu's face. "It is an absolute shame that a woman could be raised with such brusqueness in this day and age. That also would not do well for your reputation. A spineless man who refuses to see me, and sends a woman with no delicacy to do his work. Your business will crumble, Madame Kamiya, and when the value of your lands plummet, perhaps you will reconsider my offer. Do not be surprised if I am not so generous with the proposed sums next time we speak."

"So you are threatening my reputation? That is how you deal?" Kaoru leveled her gaze at him, looking at him straight on. "You believe your influence and power to be so grand that you can spill forth unbecoming stories and all will believe you? Remember, Sir, that you are not native here. You are still, no matter your success, an outsider who flew in with the trade winds, and this is a city built upon tradition. While my school may not be the most traditional thing in this city, my family is reputable and respected and has been for _years_. It is no easy feat to turn the people against us. Especially since you assume we will not retaliate. Perhaps you should consider what we could be saying about you."

His mask slipped again, with a gnashing of teeth that he was not able to contain. "No matter how important you believe your family to be, the times are changing Madame Kamiya, and you will sorely regret your words this fine evening."

"The evening would only be fine if you were not in my presence. Begone, Sir Takeda. We will not be speaking again."

He trembled with anger, and Kaoru was certain if the lighting were better she would see the color of his face change. "Very well. I hope your walk home is uneventful." Stiffly, he bowed to her and then stalked off, his footfalls echoing across the pier.

Kaoru frowned, watching his form disappear before she began her trek home. Something about his words did not sit well with her, and it was about three blocks into the return trip that she realized just what bothered her. The hairs rising on the back of her neck, and the hushed sound of footsteps may or may not have tipped her off.

She twisted around, lips pursing at catching movement in the shadows. Uneventful indeed. It was not surprisingly he would stoop to such measures, and it was even more insulting that he thought her so incapable of protecting herself.

She supposed the person stalking her could not have been one of Takeda's escorts, but that would have been simply too coincidental. Coming to a stop, she tapped her parasol against her opposing hand. "I do not appreciate being followed, especially not by someone who does it so poorly as yourself. Do come out so we can properly conclude this in a timely fashion."

She half turned to see the man lumber out, easily twice her size and half as well dressed. She frowned at him, eyes falling on the large piece of pipe he held in his hands. At least it was not a firearm, though it was very cliché of him. "You should've taken Mr. Kanryu's offer, Ma'am."

"Surely you jest. If you are the result of my refusal, then I certainly have no regrets."

He must have had some pride, because his body language indicated he did not appreciate her words. He also moved with more speed than she would have given him credit for. Her eyes widened in alarm as he closed the distance between them, swinging the pipe back in preparation to strike.

What he did not expect was her to move in and whip her closed parasol out, cracking it sharply against the inside of his knee. He went crashing down onto the sidewalk as she ducked away from his tumbling mass. He rolled to his feet as best he could, however she was already advancing, jabbing the end of her parasol into his back where his kidney was. He did not recover so well from that.

Over the low din of pained noises coming from her defeated foe, Kaoru heard a very distinct click, that of a hammer being pulled back on a gun. "Don't move."

She stilled, mouth going dry. A thug with a pipe was an easy foe. A man with a gun was a real threat.

"Now turn, slowly. I don't like to shoot someone in the back."

Setting her jaw, Kaoru slowly turned. He had not told her to drop her parasol, but he was also far enough away that assaulting him with it was pretty much out of the question. He was standing in the street, close enough to shoot, but far enough to be out of her range. How foolish of her to think Kanryu would not send two.

"Atta girl. You're a bit of a beast with that little 'brella of yours. I don't like shootin' women all that much but when it's bosses orders, eh, what will ya do?"

She pressed her lips together tightly. Kanryu had not been intending to scare her, or even rough her up. He had intended to kill her. It would be that much easier to get his hands on her lands and-

Pink.

She blinked rapidly as her brain furiously tried to process the sudden appearance of a very vivid shade of pink that flashed under the lamplight. It took her a moment to realize the color was attached to a figure and that the figure had literally darted across the street and assaulted her would-be murderer. With a fairly audible crack, the gunman crumpled to the ground, dropping his weapon.

Her savior stepped over the body of her unconscious assailant and better into view. He was a slight man with red hair pulled back at the nape of his neck. The obnoxiously loud color of his suit jacket made her pause. Where had she seen that color of magenta? Oh... she vaguely remembered walking by someone on the sidewalk earlier. She had been too angry to pay him much attention at the time, but now she was certain she was looking at the same man. Not that it really mattered besides the fact her sense of fashion was screaming.

Tapping his cane on the ground, he smiled at her. "Are you unhurt? I would apologize that I did not get here sooner, but I am realizing I was not needed until right when I showed up."

Kaoru nodded slowly. "So... So it seems. Were you... following me?"

He blinked in a manner one might call innocent and confused. "I believe it would be more correct to say we happened to be moving in the same direction. It is not polite to follow a lady, after all."

She gave him a scrutinizing gaze, not releasing the hold of her umbrella. The cane in his hand was the only thing he could have used as a weapon, but it had been much too dark to see the details. Pursing her lips, she finally gave him a stiff nod. "I appreciate your assistance, and am grateful we both are unharmed. If you will excuse me, I must be off. Good bye."

She turned to walk away, catching him bowing to her out of the corner of her eye. "Have a wonderful evening, madam."

She did not look back, walking away with as much grace as she could. The slight tremor in her step was _almost_ unnoticable. Kenshin watched her go, tapping his gloved fingers on the handle of his cane. It was rude to follow a lady, but perhaps his desire to wander was taking him in her direction. He could not help that, now could he? Smiling at himself, he dusted off the fabric of his very loud suit and walked off after her.

Neither of them seemed to notice the shadowed figure down the street moving in the opposite direction.

**XX**

_This is the first part of a long overdue reward story. I have no idea when it will be completed, or when any of my other stories will be updated. I am truly very sorry for my absence and hope you find at least a small amount of entertainment in this piece. (It isn't even beta'd oh my god I am so sorry.)_

_Cheers,_  
_Rain_


End file.
